Centre has no role, three capitals is state subject: BJP

After the Governor gave his assent to the three capitals bills, BJP leaders on Friday asserted that the Andhra Pradesh government’s plan to set up three capitals does not have the central government’s approval.

Talking to media persons at a separate conference, newly appointed state BJP president Somu Veerraju and party MP G V L Narasimha Rao said the decision to choose a capital is completely a state subject and the central government has no role to play in it. “The Union government will not interfere in it. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had decided to develop Amaravati against the recommendations of the Siva Rama Krishna Committee.”

Both the leaders stated that the BJP had passed a resolution in its core committee meeting in favour of Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh and same had been forwarded to the party and the central government. Trashing allegations that the central government had played a critical role in the entire matter, G V L Narasimha Rao said, “It is a constitutional process and the central government has no role in it.”

While asserting the BJP stand that the Amaravati should be the capital as the central government had released ₹2,500 crore for capital construction in Amaravati, Rao reiterated that the party will not oppose the Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal to create judicial capital in Rayalaseema. “We welcome the Andhra Pradesh government’s plan to set up the judicial system in Kurnool, but our stand on Amaravati remains. In our manifesto, we had clearly stated that the High Court should be set up in Rayalaseema. On that front, we have no two opinions,” Narasimha Rao said.

Somu Veerarju also pointed out that the three-capital formation is the decision of the YSRCP government. However, he assured that the BJP will not go back on its stand on Amaravati as the capital. “We will stand by the farmers,” he said.

Meanwhile, farmers in Amaravati are caught in political crosshairs. At least 28,000 farmers pooled their land towards the construction of the city of Amaravati as part of the previous TDP government’s Land Pooling Scheme (LPS). During the TDP regime, at least 35,000 acres of land were acquired for capital creation in Amaravati. Today, the farmers are protesting over the last 230 days ever since Andhra Pradesh announced creation of three capitals – Vizag as executive, Kurnool as judicial and Amaravati as legislative. As a matter of fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself laid the foundation stone for Amaravati.